Hunting Matters

Past Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

In April 2017, Ms. Skipwith was appointed by President Trump to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior. Ms. Skipwith was responsible and had oversight for policy, planning, and regulatory actions for the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).


On January 6, 2020, Ms. Aurelia Skipwith was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence as the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). She served as the 22nd Director for the Service and was the first African American to hold the position. Ms. Skipwith was first nominated by President Trump in October 2018 for the position and then she was re-nominated in the 116th Congress on July 17, 2019. She was confirmed by the full Senate on December 12, 2019.


As the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ms. Skipwith was responsible for the federal management of fish, wildlife and natural habitats. The Service’s mission is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people." The Service employs over 8,500 employees and manages over 855 million acres of land and water. In her role as Director, she served on multiple Councils and Committees, including serving as the Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Interagency Executive Council and was also a member of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Interagency Committee on Trade in Timber Products from Peru. On January 19, 2021, Ms. Skipwith resigned from her position as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


Ms. Skipwith is an avid marathon runner and a true believer in getting involved. Her family hails from Columbus, Mississippi.

Pat Murray is a national advocate and leader on marine conservation issues and an active sportsman.
Currently, he serves as the National President of the Coastal Conservation Association, one of the nation’s largest marine resource conservation organizations.

Founded in 1977, CCA has more than 125,000 members and 224 local chapters throughout the US. Murray has served in a variety of positions within the organization in his 24-year tenure, including leadership roles in state and national operations, state and federal advocacy, development fundraising and grassroots membership cultivation. Prior to joining CCA, he owned and operated a light-tackle fishing guide service along the upper Texas coast.


He is the publisher of TIDE magazine, one of the largest circulated coastal outdoors print magazines with a circulation of more than 100,000. TIDE was named the 2016 Outdoor Publication of the Year by the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. Murray has won numerous awards for his magazine writing and is the author of Texas Fish and Game Publishing’s best-selling book “Pat Murray’s No-Nonsense Guide to Coastal Fishing” as well as a new book published by Texas A&M University Press “It’s More than Fishing.”

Evan is president and CEO of the Sportsmen’s Alliance and its Foundation. Evan is a government affairs and non-profit management executive who has spent the past 14 years working on hunting and conservation issues. Evan joined the Sportsmen’s Alliance and Foundation in 2007 and over the past fourteen years he has coordinated the organization’s political, legal and ballot issue strategies. Additionally, he has worked heavily on solutions involving the future of hunting and reaching the next generation of sportsmen and women, including leading the effort to remove barriers that prevent people from participating in hunting and the shooting sports.
Prior to joining the Sportsmen’s Alliance, Evan served on staff in both the Ohio House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. He is an avid hunter and holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Ohio University.

Matt Pyle has been a member of HSC since 2009 and is currently the President of HSCF & HSC. He has served as Vice President in 2012 and 2013, on the Board of Directors 2013-2017 and is currently serving as the Chairman for the Veteran Outreach program. Matt was the 2013 Convention Chairman, the Convention Corporate Sponsor Chairman in 2012 and 2013, and Co-Chair in 2014 – 2018. He and his wife Susie are Gazelles Luncheon and Hunting Awards Sponsors.

Director of Government Affairs, Wildlife Forever

Tim Richardson is a Washington, DC-based public affairs, media, and fundraising consultant. Tim has been Government Affairs Director for Wildlife Forever since 1995. Prior to that, he worked for Texas’ U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in Washington and was a political journalist in Austin during the 1980s. Tim is rural Michigan native who moved to Texas in 1979.

After a decade in Texas journalism and two years on Capitol Hill, Richardson became the nation’s only private consultant to work on Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon restoration for grant applicants. Clients in Alaska and Texas have received over $500 million in oil spill funds for projects involving public and private stakeholders, partners, and natural resource agencies. In addition to oil spill restoration Tim has worked on myriad state and federal government affairs issues for over thirty years.

Founder, HuntingLife.com
HuntingLife.com

Kevin Paulson started HuntingLife.com in 2006 to create a resource to share his passion for the outdoors, hunting and conservation. Prior to that Kevin co-owned an outfitting business in Idaho and Montana focused on elk and mule deer. He sold his portion of the business after his father passed away in 2006. Kevin’s passion for outdoor gear, shooting and the entire hunting industry has allowed his business to grow exponentially over the last 20 years. Kevin is a board member for the Professional Outdoor Media Association, and he is singularly focused on bringing more outdoor writers and influencers into the association. Kevin is focused currently on growing a network called Outdoor Hive using new technology to benefit outdoor, hunting and shooting companies.

Dan Garrison
Founder, Garrison Brothers Distillery

Blake Henning, Chief Conservation Officer, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Blake has served in his current role since 2010 providing leadership to the organization’s conservation, access, elk restoration, hunting heritage and government affairs programs. He has been with RMEF since 2000 when he was hired as the Regional Director for Wyoming. Since moving to RMEF HQ in 2005 he has held several positions involving land management, fundraising, and volunteer leadership.

Outside of RMEF, Henning was appointed to a federal advisory committee on hunting, shooting sports and conservation by the U.S. Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture in 2018. Additionally, Henning serves as Chairman of American Wildlife Conservation Partners, a group of nearly 50 hunting and wildlife organizations and also sits on Montana’s Forest Action Council.

Blake's interest in conservation and hunting first began while growing up on a farm in southeast Nebraska. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management and Agriculture from the University of Nebraska and an M.S. degree in Wildlife Biology from Kansas State University.

JD Burrows has been a member of HSC since 2008 and has served as a volunteer on several committees. Serving on the Membership Committee from 2010 to 2012, he had the pleasure of working the Convention floor and signing up new members. Having learned so much about the Club while signing up new members, he decided to take on a more prominent role in 2013. As the Immediate Past President, JD lead the Houston Safari Club Foundation through 2019-2020, where we grew membership and increased the relevance of the organization on Capitol Hill, in Austin, and most importantly in Houston. He and his wife Angie have been long time sponsors of Awards and Gazelles sponsors.

In professional capacity, JD serves as the Vice President of Customer Engagement, Analytics & Strategies for ENGIE, a leading global energy company, and is responsible for branding, public relations, market analytics and pricing strategies.

Kevin Welborn, Director of Marketing, Sales & Guest Services, Joshua Creek Ranch

A native Texan and Houstonian, Kevin Welborn moved to the Texas Hill Country and joined the team at Joshua Creek Ranch, a premier hunting lodge and sporting resort, nearly seven years ago as the Director of Marketing, Sales & Guest Services and part of the Management Team.
Prior to that, Kevin spent 22 years in marketing, sales and management positions for multiple Houston firms that primarily serviced the oil & gas industry and related energy sectors. His successful track record as a business professional, combined with his keen understanding of customer relationship management and his passion for the outdoors, has enabled Kevin to help lead Joshua Creek Ranch into its third decade as one of the top hunting lodges in the world.

Few, if any, hunting lodges in the world have as many accolades or entertain as many guests as Joshua Creek Ranch does on an annual basis.

Kevin has played a key role in maximizing the Ranch Owner’s investments in the property and continued sales growth for the award-winning operation.

In his spare time, Kevin enjoys hunting, saltwater fishing and hanging out with his wife and two kids – his son, a sophomore Construction Science major at Texas A&M University and his daughter, a high-school sophomore tennis player.